2021 began with a wave of optimism that vaccines would be the golden ticket back to live music and touring for Limerick artists. An abundantly cautious return to live music events and some state funded concerts towards the end of the Summer brought hope that, along with the many developments by venues put in place to make concerts as safe as possible, we were on the path back to normality.
Alas, it was not to be, a targeted lockdown of the night time economy in December dealt a knockout blow to an industry that hadn’t even got to its feet, causing more concert cancellations and rescheduling of events.
Through all this, Limerick musicians continued to create and produce some great new music in 2021 even as budgets for recording were seriously depleted by the lack of opportunities to play live shows.
The tracks listed here are in no particular order and all have website links to support Limerick artists directly. The tracks can be streamed on a new mixtape on Spotify called MusicLimerick – New Music Favourites.
Hermitage Green
Track: Got To Give
THE band released a new album this year called Hi Generation. The record is a collection of strong catchy folk-pop songs that will serve to further enhance their live reputation and have thousands singing their songs in unison at Docklands in June 2022.
www.hermitagegreen.com/
Denise Chaila
Track: 061
DENISE’S single, 061 celebrates Limerick City in fine style with a wonderful video including cameos from the city’s music makers and shapers and in turn MTV taught the world Limerick’s area code giving the wonderful video regular spins.
061 featured in her surprise drop of a new EP in late November called It’s A Mixtape. Denise described the five track release as a tapestry of “anger, despair, hope, cynicism, defiance, braggadocious faith and quiet pain.”
https://denisechaila.bandcamp.
windings
Track: Apocryphal
LIMERICK indie stalwarts windings dropped their new album called Focus on the Past 5 in November on the acclaimed Out On A Limb record label which has a long relationship with the band since releasing Steve Ryan’s groundbreaking duo Givamanakick.
Focus on the Past 5 was recorded by Daniel Fox (Girlband) at Sonic Studios and the songs and lyrical themes evolved over the course of lockdown.
“This album is a deep dive into half remembered truths of youth, confusion and doubt, uncertainty and fear, the perception and resigned acceptance of the inevitability of end times, but also an awareness of place, and reminding ourselves to take comfort in the familiar.”
https://windings.bandcamp.com/
Anna’s Anchor
Track: Shannon Bridge
LIMERICK record label Out On A Limb released the album, A Glorious Ruction from Anna’s Anchor in April. The concept album reflects a story of self doubt and uncertainty set upon the banks of the River Shannon.
The album is an interactive art piece in which each song is timed to the well worn “Three Bridges” walk around the Limerick city centre, using the landscape and landmarks of the river as an aural canvas.
https://annasanchor.bandcamp.
TA Narrative
Track: Braver
TARA and Anna (ex- We Should Be Dead) make great indie-electro-pop with irresistible melodies. Braver is another milestone on this musical adventure.
And there’s more, the girls just released a remix of last year’s single ‘Lifting You Higher’. Mixed by Dublin DJ Steady State (aka Eric Whelan), he adds a spacey slow techno groove to their indie floorfiller.
https://tanarrative.bandcamp.
Laura Duff
Track: Good Form
Following a busy twelve months getting positive press for her single releases such as ‘Wayside’ and ‘Good Form’, Laura’s warm cuts of alt-pop culminated in a four track EP entitled ‘Heavy Summer’. It was recorded and produced by Christian Best of Monique Studios, Midleton Co. Cork, and mastered by Richard Dowling of Wav Mastering, Limerick.
https://lauraduff.bandcamp.com
Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets
Track: Everything Will Be OK
Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets released a steady stream of singles in 2021 on the BitDepth label. Speaking about the track ‘Everything Will Be OK’, Dylan said, “This track is the first track we have ever released that wasn’t played live first. I think that allowed us to experiment with new ideas in the production, which overall led to us creating a fresh sound.”
Post Punk Podge
Track: Panic Prevention
‘Euphoric Recall’ is the new album from Limerick techno-rockers Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies. Panic Prevention is a rousing anthem of resilience in overcoming anxiety and panic attacks.
postpunkpodgeandthetechnohippi
Japanese Jesus
Track: Facilities
LIMERICK duo Japanese Jesus released two great singles in the summer.
‘Facilities’ is an absolute banger and comes with an impressive video created and edited by Tom Brewins. Both tracks were recorded by Mike Gavin (Windings) in their West Limerick studio.
japanesejesus.bandcamp.com/
JaYne
Track: The Coast
SINGER/songwriter JaYne wrote her lush new single ‘The Coast’ with Limerick jazz guitar player Paddy Shanahan and was produced by Ben Wanders.
As well as her solo work JaYne (Jane Fraser) fronts indie/soul group Eve’s Record Box and presents a weekly jazz/world music radio show on lccr.ie called The Record Box.
jaynemusic.bandcamp.com/
Hazey Haze
Track: Came off the bank
Hazey dropped his new album ‘Epitome’ in September. The 11 track recording features guest vocals from Seán O’Meara and Denise Chaila.
Produced by Danny Lanham, ‘Epitome’ delivers on the promise shown on the Limerick rapper’s previous experimental single ‘Pepé Le Pew’ with the duo using live instrumentals as a bedrock for Hazey’s all killer no filler flows.
hazey-haze.bandcamp.com
Ra Gerra feat Murli
Track: Terrified
ELECTRONIC rap/R&B duo Ra Gerra is a collaborative project featuring electronic musician/producer Kobina and Limerick rapper/singer MuRli. Their album New Vessels dropped in July.
ragerramusic.bandcamp.com/
Strange Boy
Track: Waiting
In April, Limerick rapper Strange Boy shared ‘Waiting’, the track that announced his debut album Holy/Unholy later that summer. The record features rap/spoken word on a berock of traditional Irish music. In an exciting new way of expressing his poetry Strange Boy paints a living picture of the raw truth of the country’s youth in the stirring single ‘Waiting’.
strangeboytheweirdo.bandcamp.
Sinead O’Brien
Track: Kid Stuff
POET/VOCALIST Sinead O’Brien is originally from Limerick and now releasing music with her London based band on Chess Club Records. Kid Stuff is the purest and most succinct expression yet of their cool indie sound.
https://spoti.fi/2JtqV4r
FIGR
Track: Long Gone
FEATURING Limerick vocalist Niamh Hinchy FIGR released a dreamy piece of indie-pop called ‘Long Gone’. FIGR is Darragh Griffin (Hermitage Green) The self-produced multi-instrumentalist launched FIGR, a solo project in which he wrote, recorded and produced all the tracks on his EP called ‘Go FIGR’
figr.bandcamp.com/
John Steele
Track: Naturally Nocturnal
John Steele’s recording of a new EP mushroomed into a full album release titled Naturally Nocturnal just seven months after his debut LP arrived in December 2020.
Themes of everyone’s struggles being a shared experience continues throughout the album particularly on Everybody Breaks and The Motorways are Full of Broken Hearts with John Steel’s articulate and compassionate lyrics and narratives finding the light in the darkness of everyone’s vulnerabilities.
https://johnsteele.bandcamp.
Dora Gola
Track: Flying Tree
‘Flying Tree’ is the second single from Dora Gola’s debut album, due for release in 2022.
Dora explained that the track is inspired by the Noya Rao aka Flying Tree.
This upbeat celebratory anthem takes influences from 90s African Dance, Peruvian Folk and 80s pop.
Now working permanently with Darragh Keary as a co-writer, the two have a strong vision for what they want to create. Together, they have conjured a tone and new direction that brings together Dora’s musical and dance influences from her native Poland and embracing Irish mythology and folklore.
doragola.bandcamp.com/
David of the Blakes
Track: Milo’s Song
MUSICIAN / Songwriter David Blake with Limerick group Brad Pitt Light Orchestra releases his solo projects under the name David of The Blakes. His delightful track ‘Milo’s Song’ is described as a happy accident that was never meant to be a single.
As David was recording this instrumental track his four year old son walked in on the session to lend a hand.
davidoftheblakes.bandcamp.com
Hedfuzy
Track: Fall
Limerick rockers Hedfuzy released ‘Fall’ in June. The earworm track is about finding that “perfect connection between people,” and when you do you never want to let it go.
hedfuzy1.bandcamp.com
Bobsleigh Bob
Track: Civil Twilight
Bobsleigh Bob is a Dublin-born and Limerick-based musician and music industry professional. After many years working behind the scenes in event production, festival management, sound engineering, design and marketing, he has stepped out from behind the stage curtain with the release of a beautifully crafted debut album called How to Measure a Coastline.
The first single from the album, ‘Civil Twilight’, has received loads of support on alternative radio.
bobsleighbob.bandcamp.com
Headgear
Track: Someday son all of this won’t be yours either
LIMERICK songwriter/producer Daragh Dukes is releasing new music as Headgear.
The musician has a long history in Limrock, from the early days with They Do It With Mirrors (Setanta Records) to Headgear and Asylum Speakers on the Martha Dig Music label. He also produced ‘Sinners and Lost Souls’, the critically acclaimed sophomore album from Sons of Southern Ulster and was part of the team that created the recent RTE Radio One documentary Digging For Fire, a memoir of his time in Limerick and London with They Do It With Mirrors.
https://marthadigs.com/
Lost Boys
Track: Hindsight
LIMERICK indie-pop band Lost Boys released their debut EP in February 2021.
Only together a little over two years, Peadar Storey (Guitar/Vocals), Michael Meleady (Guitar/Vocals), Patrick O’Donnell (Drums/Beats Boy) and Peter Corbett(Bass) used this four tracker to showcase some fine songwriting and individual creativity to produce a diverse set of songs from the upfront funk of ‘Hindsight’ to the plaintive ‘Sadie’.
